[MarvinK]

Why is there such a SEVERE lack of Cannondale dealers? Is it because the stupid business ventures alienated shops? Aside from REI, there isn't a single bike shop within 100 miles that actually carries any Cannondale bikes! There are 2 (including one large well-respected shop in a good-size city) listed on Cannondale's site, but neither of them stock Cannondale and one says they haven't been a dealer for quite some time.

I bought a 3.0 as my first nice road bike about 15 years ago, and thought it would be nice to get back to my roots... but not if I can't find a nice one. REI only carries cheap ones... I was hoping to test a Synapse and Six13.

 

[jm3]

C-Dale has one of the lowest, if not the lowest, margins in the industry. They're a bit of a quirky brand to deal with as well, sometimes slow to respond to both dealers and customers, and their bikes need to be built from the ground up when they're shipped to dealers. That means an owner has to pay his/her mechanic an hour's wage to build a bike he's already not going to make much money on.

I think CAAD8's are one of the best deals in bikes - $2500 for a full Dura-Ace bike is incredible, but C-Dale gives little incentive to sell their product. It's great product, but if it doesn't make a dealer money, they'll sell something else.